Clippers power forward Blake Griffin comes up with the leg of San Antonio's Tim Duncan instead of the ball as he tries to recover a rebound in the first period Thursday. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Clippers power forward Blake Griffin reaches up to control a rebound in the first period against San Antonio Thursday. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Clippers Blake Griffin, center, and his Clippers teammates watch from the bench as they trail San Antonio late in the fourth period. The Clippers lost 116-90. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Blake Griffin, center, and his teammates know the outcome of their game against San Antonio as the clock runs down late in the fourth period. the Clippers lost 116-90. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Clippers guard Eric Bledsoe, left, steals the ball away from San Antonio's Manu Ginobili in the fourth period of Thursday's game. San Antonio beat the Clippers 116-90. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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The Clippers' Matt Barnes reaches up to grab a rebound during Thursday's game against San Antonio. The Clippers lost 116-90. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Matt Barnes led the Clippers with 18 points and Blake Griffin scored 17 for the Clippers in the loss.

The Clippers hold a 2-1 advantage over the Spurs this season, with the teams meeting for the final time in the regular season on March 29 in San Antonio.

Billups adds dimension

Finally, the Clippers have Chauncey Billups back in the starting lineup, where he can play with Paul to give the Clippers a solid, reliable backcourt.

But the solid, reliable backcourt hasn’t played together much.

In more than a season-and-a-half, Billups and Paul have only played together 23 times.

“Chris and I haven’t played a long, long time together, but you’re talking about two guys who think the game the same way,” Billups said.

That mental edge makes all the difference, Billups said.

“It really doesn’t matter how long we’ve been playing together.” he said. “We’re always thinking on the same page. We’re always a couple steps ahead of most players, to be honest.

“It looks like maybe we’ve been playing together for a long time because of that.”

With Billups back in the lineup, teams have had to adjust the way they defend the Clippers, opening things on the inside and on the the perimeter.

“He’s such a good shooter and has such a high I.Q., it’s easy for everybody,” Clippers guard Jamal Crawford said. “It’s like two point guards on the court with him and Chris.”

Billups said he’s been feeling better as of late, with issues like the peroneal tendonitis and the stiff back almost completely behind him.

“It’s always good to get a break, no matter what,” he said. “I enjoyed it, but I didn’t feel like I absolutely needed it.”

Physically and mentally, the Clippers have benefitted from having Billups back. Prior to Thursday’s game with the Spurs, the Clippers were 6-1 in games he played.

And with him on the court, the team has another veteran to help the Clippers as they head into the final stretch of the season.

“Every time he speaks, it comes from a safe place,” Crawford said. “You don’t feel like he’s telling you something for the benefit of him; it’s always for the benefit of the team.

“It’s always about the team.”

Clippers don’t deal

Like most of the NBA, the Clippers decided not to make a trade before Thursday’s noon deadline.

“There was no trade to be made,” Del Negro said. “There was nothing there.”

The Clippers were linked to Boston’s Kevin Garnett and Utah’s Paul Milsap in the build-up to the deadline.

There was speculation that Eric Bledsoe and DeAndre Jordan could be involved in deals for Garnett and Milsap.

“Everyone is like a family,” Crawford said. “It’d had been tough to see anyone go.”

Notes

After suffering a conjunctival abrasion of the left eye (scratch) last week against the Lakers, Odom was cleared to play without eye protection Thursday against the Spurs. …First-year Clipper season-ticket holder Hagop Blikian of Los Angeles made a half-court shot in the third quarter to win a new Dodge Dart.

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